Be my Cinderella :: My Meer Campbell essay
Character: Meer Campbell
Title: Be my Cinderella
Author: Maria
Spoilers: For the Gundam SEED: Destiny series, up until episode 47.
Email: frozenviolets @ gmail. com
Personal Website: The Dance Floor (my fanfic journal).
99% of the LOTS of images used here come from Gundam SEED Net, and the others are from uzuhi's post at the deceased meer_love
Be my Cinderella :: A Meer Campbell essay
Solar System :: About Gundam SEED and SEED: Destiny
Gundam SEED: Destiny is the sequel to 2002's TV series Gundam SEED, and both are the latest releases related to the HUGE Gundam franchise. Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda Future GPX Cyber Formula, Gear Fighter Dendoh), it shows the conflict among the Coordinators (genetically-enhanced humans), who live in the PLANTs (space colonies) and are leaded by the organization called ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty), and the Naturals (non-enhanced humans) who live mostly on Earth and are leaded by the Earth Federation.
Two years after the events depicted in SEED, both PLANTs and the Earth enjoy a rather shaky peace. One of the major players in the story, ex-idol-turned-into-PLANT-leader Lacus Clyne, has left the spotlight and lives a peaceful life at Earth, working at Reverend Malchio's orphanage, along with her partner and lover Kira Yamato (ex-Gundam pilot) and Kira's adoptive parents. Little does Lacus know, that new ZAFT leader Gilbert Dullindal isn't going to let her go so easily. So, since he can't find Lacus herself anywhere, he wants a girl able to pose as Lacus..
And he found her.
More than your Ordinary Girl :: Meer Campbell and how she's introduced
Meer first appears in the OP of the Destiny series, dancing with an ethereal image of Lacus sharing the screen with her, and later draped over Athrun in the famous "harem" pic. XD Officially, though, her introduction is in episode 7, where she's seen talking to Dullindal in his office. In episode 9, she properly meets Athrun and goes to him, glomps him, and leaves him all WTF with her bubbly, cheerful actions. She's VERY different of the Lacus he used to know, definitely; not even the more cheerful and naïve Lacus from the SEED CD-dramas can really compare.
In episode 10, Meer (as Lacus) goes to a TV broadcast and speaks to millions of persons who are angry about the most recent events that included even a colony drop on Earth. Instead of urging people to go to an open war, she asks them to calm down and not repeat the errors of the past. She even sings the song "Fields of Hope for them as a way to prove her point.
Later, Meer meets up with Athrun again and manages to drag him to a restaurant to have dinner together, and there we catch more glimpses of her real self. She tells Athrun her real name, Meer Campbell, and explains to him that she's not exactly in for the money and power, but to help Dullindal keep the peace. When Athrun warns her that Dullindal wants Lacus' power and influence and not really Meer's, she says she doesn't mind it, because she wants to be needed by people - even if they think she's Lacus. She specially remarks "I'm not needed by anyone". While Meer's past hasn't been revealed to this point (and won't be in a long, long time), this strongly implies that before she took up the Lacus role, she may have had lost her family or friends in the war, but unlike the major players of the story she wasn't able to actually do something to move on until her fame as "the girl who sings like Lacus" reached Dullindal.
And the girl dances... :: Meer Campbell's actions and place in Gundam SEED: Destiny
The next time Meer Campbell appears, it's in episode 17. There, she performs onstage, and people remark on how "Lacus" has changed over the time she was secluded; how her outfit is more revealing, how much cheerful and bouncy she is on-stage. People *do* like it, you see; they *need* a change, and the sight of a pink-haired girl singing for them is a relief form all the blood, sweat and tears. Also, there's another detail thrown in: everyone thinks that Athrun and Lacus are *still* engaged, despite Patrick Zala breaking off their engagement and branding both Lacus and her dad, Siegel, as traitors in SEED...
... Which leads to one of the most famous scenes in Destiny. More exactly, to the beginning of episode 21 -where Athrun (who has re-joined ZAFT by this point) finds Meer, clad only in a night gown, in his bed, and he freaks out so badly that he falls to the floor.
One of the most popular interpretations of the scene is "ZOMG MEER IS A HO!". Uhm, no. Meer is another one who ignores that Athrun and Lacus aren't engaged anymore, and that Athrun has been working with Cagalli as well as dating her. You can see that reflected in her question to Athrun "But... isn't this the way fiancées should act?". She also continues acting possessive of Athrun, acting petty to his partner Lunamaria and clinging to him, as she still seems to consider that Lacus may have acted this way when she and Athrun were dating. She's also very annoyed when, in episode 26, Lacus goes to space in the shuttle Meer was supposed to aboard, to the point of thinking that *someone has impersonated her*...
However, unlike what some fans say, this isn't Meer's only pattern of behavior. As it has been pointed out already, Meer feels that she's not needed, and thinks of herself as being useless and unwanted. The only things that made her different of the average girl were her large bosom and her gorgeous singing voice... and those made her special for Dullindal. His offer to Meer may have had the possibility of being powerful and rich attatched, but deducing from the words she says when off-stage, she took it in for two reasons:
* She wanted to be recognized, loved, and estimated. This will be shown on how, in episode 36, when she helps Athrun to escape from Dullindal who wants to kill him, he offers her to run away with him, and she refuses with the words "No! I'm Lacus! I'm Lacus, okay? I prefer Lacus!". At the risk of her own safety, she still wants to live her life as Lacus... someone who is loved by everyone, unlike her former self;
* She wanted to help people. This is reflected in her talks with the people of PLANT, where she tells them to drop the agressive behavior and help to strengthen the frail peace.
Not only she does it in her early public apparitions, but in a later one that takes place just before Athrun and Meyrin Hawke's escape, in episode 33; there, you can see that she talks with determination about how the current situation is an exception to her "no fight" policy. Even if it's a speech and she's coached, she still believes in peace... and also becomes disillusioned and depressed when she sees that her efforts are in vain. You can see it when Athrun and Shinn are given their new Gundams and Meer is there... and she's a far cry from her happy self.
Not only Meer is very sad when, few after the speech and Athrun's escapade, she thinks that Athrun's dead; during Operation Ragnarok, we can see her horrified at the mass destruction it brings. And even in her second-to-last episode, 46, when she finally arranges a meeting with Lacus (by sending her a note with her red Haro), Meer tells her and Athrun, Meyrin and Kira that she's Lacus, the one who has been truely working for peace in the last months. She doesn't know what Lacus has been doing during that time; she just knows that the woman who used to help the ZAFT people abandoned them, and she was brought in to fill her void.
It's true that Meer's motives *are* part self-serving. But hey - it's a part of being human. Humans are very complex beings, always struggling with their own desires and the need to get together and work for survival. Meer's attitude reflects this quite well; while she *is* immature and even childish, at other tims she acts quite grown-up and with strong convictions about what's wrong and what's right. She's also more independant than you'd expect from someone who's supposed to be a puppet princess who has Dullindal as her puppetmaster: you see that when she finds out that Gilbert wants Athrun out of the way, then helps Athrun to get out of ZAFT, taking quite the personal risk to make sure he doesn't get caught... and repents too not exactly because she still wants to be pretty and famous, but because by leraving with Athrun, not only her fantasy will end, but there will go her chance to keep on doing something. Because she thinks that as Meer, the girl who only had a voice similar to Lacus', not only no one will pay attention to her wish to live happily, but she won't be able to work for the peace that she wishes.
Some people wonder: "How come a mere singing girl can stop the war?". They forget what Lacus Clyne stands out for in the SEED world. She's a singer who sings songs that talk about love, hope, and a better world. She's charismatic, able to make people listen to her songs and words. She's the leader of the Clyne Faction, which was vital into finishing the past war depicted in the SEED series, and daughter of ex-ZAFT chairman Siegel Clyne - a man who was well-loved and respected by his peers, who didn't share Patrick Zala's genocidal views, and whose murder made some ZAFT members *very* pissed off.
In a sense, while people like Patrick, Murata Azrael, Lord Djibril and Gilbert Dullindal are jaded persons who believe in war, Lacus Clyne is someone who believes in union and peace, and is able to draw the attention and hearts of people towards her cause very easily. Such an influence is something that *any* politician would LOVE to have.
However, after the war, Lacus rejected all of this. She wanted time to heal her own wounds as well as Kira's and the ones of the people surrounding her, so she preferred to lead a much quieter and secluded life. This is normal and understandable, after all she has went through... but in a sense, she forgot that there was still work to do, and there were still people who needed to hear her songs to heal their own heart injuries.
Meer, as a PLANT inhabitant and war survivor, knows this. She may have never met Lacus, but she knows the influence Lacus has with her voice and her eloquence. So, when Dullindal and his people heard about this "girl with a voice so similar to Lady Lacus's own", heard her performing, and finally offered her to take up Lacus' place as her double... well, she was overjoyed. Not only she'd be able to do something for peace, instead of just looking at others doing so; her dream to be noticed and loved would be fulfilled, even if it's because people thought she was the real Lacus. Honestly said, it's kinda like having Meer as a PLANT version of Cinderella (therefore the essay's title), then being shaped into a princess of sorts by "the Fairy Godfathers" Dullindal - one who would be more than a cute face and a sweet voice, able to fight for peace without guns, just with her words and her presence at the stage.
It's an offer that nobody would turn down, were they in Meer's shoes. I know *I* would've accepted to do so, to go through a complete makeover that included even plastic surgery (as evidenced by her flashback in the Athrun escape episode, by the pic of Meer's past self that we see in her purse, by what the Archangel people learn of when they read her digital diary), and to learn how to behave to make people happy. Which, in her view, means to be cheerful, energetic and bouncy, transmitting her feelings and her will to live through singing and cheering them on, showing a mask of happiness to tell them that it's gonna be okay, and showing off her already well-toned body (yep, her boobs *are* naturally big: she was well-stacked already *before* the surgery) to be eye-candy and fit in the ZAFT soldiers' (which are mostly young men and women around her age) fantasies.
However, while she does enjoy the attention she's give, Meer doesn't fully forget her purpose and determination to help people to live in peace. She's not *always* ditzy in presence of Athrun (seen on how she acts when Dullindal gives him and Shinn their new Gundams), *can* act on her own when needed (the plan to save Athrun), *does* repent of encouraging militar action after Operation Ragnarok. . . and ultimately, she sacrifices herself to save Lacus' life, taking a bullet that was meant to kill the woman she impersonated for months, and dies in her arms after begging her, Meyrin, Kira and Athrun not to forget her songs.
The last time we see Meer is in episode 47, which is dedicated to show how she became The Artificial Lacus. Athrun, Lacus, Kira, Mwu and Meyrin bring Meer's lifeless body to the Archangel, and then they make research on her and find her diary. There, she writes about how her plastic surgery went, how happy she was to see her dream getting closer to realization, and how she was introduced to the "Want to be Lacus Clyne?" plan. After this, a funeral service is held for Meer as she's placed in a coffin full of white flowers, and everyone says good-bye. Lacus is specially affected by Meer's death, and most likely blames herself heavily for letting another person take the place she was in until the war two years ago. Meer Campbell had tried to become Lacus Clyne both to lead people to a better life and to learn to love her own person, and that only led her to her own downfall.
Significant Others :: Relationships
Obviously, Meer Campbell isn't the only character in the show. We never got to know either her immediate family or her friends from before the war, so that leaves us with...
Master of Puppets :: Gilbert Dullindal.
The Chairman of the ZAFT council after Patrick Zala's demise, he's a very charismatic, devious and brilliant man who becomes the master of the politics in the SEED: Destiny universe. Despite not belonging to the military, Meer is one of his aidés; he contacts and hires her as the doppelganger for the missing Lacus Clyne, intending to use her still-strong influence over the ZAFT people for his own purposes. Athrun warns Meer that she'll most likely become more of a puppet than anything in Dullindal's hands, but Meer seems to be very much convinced that Gilbert means well and that he'll keep the peace. And if helping Dullindal to keep the space peaceful and all means to impersonate someone else, then Meer will do so. Only much later, she'll start to doubt about his intentions. . .
Knight in Shining Gundam :: Athrun Zala.
Athrun is the son of ex-ZAFT leader Patrick Zala, and Lacus' fiancé. Meer thinks that Athrun is still engaged to Lacus (she never knew that Patrick broke the engagement off after Siegel Clyne's apparent treason), so she naturally goes all bubbly and chipper at the sight of the man. Nobody can exactly blame her for it: he's handsome, a good person, intelligent, a skilled pilot, and still a hero among many. She had a rather bizarre idea of how Lacus would act towards Athrun to cheer him up, though, which explains the famous bed scene and her fangirlish attitude when in his presence.
Athrun himself doesn't seem to love her romantically and is embarrased by her advances, but this doesn't mean that he hates her. Oh, no. He does appreciate the fact that he owes her his life, and does care for her in a way: he does offer her to run away with him, then goes to her aid when she tells him through a note that she'll be killed (he knows it's a trap, yet says that even then he can't leave Meer alone with the enemy), and is emotionally crushed when she finally dies. In fact, he's the one who carries her lifeless body to the Archangel, in his very own arms.
Role Model :: Lacus Clyne.
Early on, Meer expresses her admiration for Lacus. She says everyone needs Lacus since she's graceful, beautiful, kind and strong. Meer used to be one of Lacus' fangirls, after all, and used to sing her songs until she was discovered. To Meer, Lacus is the mirror of all her inspiration and dreams, she's the person she wants to be... the one who's admired and loved not only because of her pretty self, but because she's the embodiment of strength and hope. Meer wants to have at least a part of Lacus' essence, the part that will make her desirable and loved - as well as able to work for a better world.
Lacus isn't exactly upset at the fact that Meer has taken her public place; in episode 46 she's nothing but kind to Meer, telling her to search for her own dreams, shielding her when they're under attack, and breaking down when Meer gets shot in her place and soon dies in her arms. Finally, in episode 47, Lacus takes Meer's death as seriously as Athrun, if not even more. As said before, Meer was there because people needed Lacus' strength and Lacus herself wasn't there for them, despite the good reasons she had to leave PLANT. Meer reminded Lacus of her place in the Destiny world, and gave her more motivation to finish the current war. Her expression in this pic says all; fans have commented that Lacus had never looked this upset and angry until then.
Broken Heart to Dream :: Meer and Me
Meer is one character that causes very strong impressions in the fandom. The majority of fans really don't like the woman, branding her as a ditzy skank or a third-wheel. Uhm, me? I loved the girl ever since I saw her dancing in the OP, because her personality and looks were such a kick. Not just because *any* woman able to be comfortable while wearing her super-ultra revealing dress wins extra brownie points in my book, but because I thought she was very vulnerable and sweet as she spoke to Athrun. And when she came back in Fangirl Mode and all, which turned off lots of other people... I was quite intrigued. Whoa, who was this girl, really? How come did she change? Why, huh? It'll be fun to find out...
So, I decided to give Meer a chance. And she responded. I saw not only her "Stage Lacus" gig, but her more vulnerable, human side. As someone who has had serious self-worth problems through her life, I could identify with Meer's plea to be loved and taken care of, and also adored how sshe combined that more selfish part of her with the wish to bring peace. Meer came off as one very human character for me; she could be petty, immature and ditzy, yup, but there was more to her than the "OMG HO THAT WANTZ ATHRUN AND WILL STEAL HIM FROM CAGALLI-SAMA" facade.
And what was underneath... I liked it. Really, I did.
Artistic Tribute :: Meer-based Fanwork and Websites
Since Meer isn't one of the most loved characters, there's little fanwork dedicated to her. But it's not impossible to find it, so enjoy!
Mecha and Anime Head Quarters: One of the best resources for Gundam general info, including SEED and SEED: Destiny summaries.
Gundam SEED Net: One of the largest SEED picture galleries ever.
meer_love : the LJ community dedicated to Meer Campbell. There are icons, wallpapers, fanarts, screencaps, etc.
goshinboku_icon : cowgirled is one of my fellow Meer fans in arms, and among her already gorgeous icons she has some very pretty Meer ones.
Untitled: djablesse's Meer-centered fic, the first one I ever found. :3
Within Endless Time: written by tailfluff, the third chapter of this fic is dedicated to an extremely realistic portrayal of Meer.
Primal Innocence: shinncest's brilliant Meer essay.
There you go, dearies! * blows a kiss to the people and leaves the stage *
Title: Be my Cinderella
Author: Maria
Spoilers: For the Gundam SEED: Destiny series, up until episode 47.
Email: frozenviolets @ gmail. com
Personal Website: The Dance Floor (my fanfic journal).
99% of the LOTS of images used here come from Gundam SEED Net, and the others are from uzuhi's post at the deceased meer_love
Be my Cinderella :: A Meer Campbell essay
Solar System :: About Gundam SEED and SEED: Destiny
Gundam SEED: Destiny is the sequel to 2002's TV series Gundam SEED, and both are the latest releases related to the HUGE Gundam franchise. Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda Future GPX Cyber Formula, Gear Fighter Dendoh), it shows the conflict among the Coordinators (genetically-enhanced humans), who live in the PLANTs (space colonies) and are leaded by the organization called ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty), and the Naturals (non-enhanced humans) who live mostly on Earth and are leaded by the Earth Federation.
Two years after the events depicted in SEED, both PLANTs and the Earth enjoy a rather shaky peace. One of the major players in the story, ex-idol-turned-into-PLANT-leader Lacus Clyne, has left the spotlight and lives a peaceful life at Earth, working at Reverend Malchio's orphanage, along with her partner and lover Kira Yamato (ex-Gundam pilot) and Kira's adoptive parents. Little does Lacus know, that new ZAFT leader Gilbert Dullindal isn't going to let her go so easily. So, since he can't find Lacus herself anywhere, he wants a girl able to pose as Lacus..
And he found her.
More than your Ordinary Girl :: Meer Campbell and how she's introduced
Meer first appears in the OP of the Destiny series, dancing with an ethereal image of Lacus sharing the screen with her, and later draped over Athrun in the famous "harem" pic. XD Officially, though, her introduction is in episode 7, where she's seen talking to Dullindal in his office. In episode 9, she properly meets Athrun and goes to him, glomps him, and leaves him all WTF with her bubbly, cheerful actions. She's VERY different of the Lacus he used to know, definitely; not even the more cheerful and naïve Lacus from the SEED CD-dramas can really compare.
In episode 10, Meer (as Lacus) goes to a TV broadcast and speaks to millions of persons who are angry about the most recent events that included even a colony drop on Earth. Instead of urging people to go to an open war, she asks them to calm down and not repeat the errors of the past. She even sings the song "Fields of Hope for them as a way to prove her point.
Later, Meer meets up with Athrun again and manages to drag him to a restaurant to have dinner together, and there we catch more glimpses of her real self. She tells Athrun her real name, Meer Campbell, and explains to him that she's not exactly in for the money and power, but to help Dullindal keep the peace. When Athrun warns her that Dullindal wants Lacus' power and influence and not really Meer's, she says she doesn't mind it, because she wants to be needed by people - even if they think she's Lacus. She specially remarks "I'm not needed by anyone". While Meer's past hasn't been revealed to this point (and won't be in a long, long time), this strongly implies that before she took up the Lacus role, she may have had lost her family or friends in the war, but unlike the major players of the story she wasn't able to actually do something to move on until her fame as "the girl who sings like Lacus" reached Dullindal.
And the girl dances... :: Meer Campbell's actions and place in Gundam SEED: Destiny
The next time Meer Campbell appears, it's in episode 17. There, she performs onstage, and people remark on how "Lacus" has changed over the time she was secluded; how her outfit is more revealing, how much cheerful and bouncy she is on-stage. People *do* like it, you see; they *need* a change, and the sight of a pink-haired girl singing for them is a relief form all the blood, sweat and tears. Also, there's another detail thrown in: everyone thinks that Athrun and Lacus are *still* engaged, despite Patrick Zala breaking off their engagement and branding both Lacus and her dad, Siegel, as traitors in SEED...
... Which leads to one of the most famous scenes in Destiny. More exactly, to the beginning of episode 21 -where Athrun (who has re-joined ZAFT by this point) finds Meer, clad only in a night gown, in his bed, and he freaks out so badly that he falls to the floor.
One of the most popular interpretations of the scene is "ZOMG MEER IS A HO!". Uhm, no. Meer is another one who ignores that Athrun and Lacus aren't engaged anymore, and that Athrun has been working with Cagalli as well as dating her. You can see that reflected in her question to Athrun "But... isn't this the way fiancées should act?". She also continues acting possessive of Athrun, acting petty to his partner Lunamaria and clinging to him, as she still seems to consider that Lacus may have acted this way when she and Athrun were dating. She's also very annoyed when, in episode 26, Lacus goes to space in the shuttle Meer was supposed to aboard, to the point of thinking that *someone has impersonated her*...
However, unlike what some fans say, this isn't Meer's only pattern of behavior. As it has been pointed out already, Meer feels that she's not needed, and thinks of herself as being useless and unwanted. The only things that made her different of the average girl were her large bosom and her gorgeous singing voice... and those made her special for Dullindal. His offer to Meer may have had the possibility of being powerful and rich attatched, but deducing from the words she says when off-stage, she took it in for two reasons:
* She wanted to be recognized, loved, and estimated. This will be shown on how, in episode 36, when she helps Athrun to escape from Dullindal who wants to kill him, he offers her to run away with him, and she refuses with the words "No! I'm Lacus! I'm Lacus, okay? I prefer Lacus!". At the risk of her own safety, she still wants to live her life as Lacus... someone who is loved by everyone, unlike her former self;
* She wanted to help people. This is reflected in her talks with the people of PLANT, where she tells them to drop the agressive behavior and help to strengthen the frail peace.
Not only she does it in her early public apparitions, but in a later one that takes place just before Athrun and Meyrin Hawke's escape, in episode 33; there, you can see that she talks with determination about how the current situation is an exception to her "no fight" policy. Even if it's a speech and she's coached, she still believes in peace... and also becomes disillusioned and depressed when she sees that her efforts are in vain. You can see it when Athrun and Shinn are given their new Gundams and Meer is there... and she's a far cry from her happy self.
Not only Meer is very sad when, few after the speech and Athrun's escapade, she thinks that Athrun's dead; during Operation Ragnarok, we can see her horrified at the mass destruction it brings. And even in her second-to-last episode, 46, when she finally arranges a meeting with Lacus (by sending her a note with her red Haro), Meer tells her and Athrun, Meyrin and Kira that she's Lacus, the one who has been truely working for peace in the last months. She doesn't know what Lacus has been doing during that time; she just knows that the woman who used to help the ZAFT people abandoned them, and she was brought in to fill her void.
It's true that Meer's motives *are* part self-serving. But hey - it's a part of being human. Humans are very complex beings, always struggling with their own desires and the need to get together and work for survival. Meer's attitude reflects this quite well; while she *is* immature and even childish, at other tims she acts quite grown-up and with strong convictions about what's wrong and what's right. She's also more independant than you'd expect from someone who's supposed to be a puppet princess who has Dullindal as her puppetmaster: you see that when she finds out that Gilbert wants Athrun out of the way, then helps Athrun to get out of ZAFT, taking quite the personal risk to make sure he doesn't get caught... and repents too not exactly because she still wants to be pretty and famous, but because by leraving with Athrun, not only her fantasy will end, but there will go her chance to keep on doing something. Because she thinks that as Meer, the girl who only had a voice similar to Lacus', not only no one will pay attention to her wish to live happily, but she won't be able to work for the peace that she wishes.
Some people wonder: "How come a mere singing girl can stop the war?". They forget what Lacus Clyne stands out for in the SEED world. She's a singer who sings songs that talk about love, hope, and a better world. She's charismatic, able to make people listen to her songs and words. She's the leader of the Clyne Faction, which was vital into finishing the past war depicted in the SEED series, and daughter of ex-ZAFT chairman Siegel Clyne - a man who was well-loved and respected by his peers, who didn't share Patrick Zala's genocidal views, and whose murder made some ZAFT members *very* pissed off.
In a sense, while people like Patrick, Murata Azrael, Lord Djibril and Gilbert Dullindal are jaded persons who believe in war, Lacus Clyne is someone who believes in union and peace, and is able to draw the attention and hearts of people towards her cause very easily. Such an influence is something that *any* politician would LOVE to have.
However, after the war, Lacus rejected all of this. She wanted time to heal her own wounds as well as Kira's and the ones of the people surrounding her, so she preferred to lead a much quieter and secluded life. This is normal and understandable, after all she has went through... but in a sense, she forgot that there was still work to do, and there were still people who needed to hear her songs to heal their own heart injuries.
Meer, as a PLANT inhabitant and war survivor, knows this. She may have never met Lacus, but she knows the influence Lacus has with her voice and her eloquence. So, when Dullindal and his people heard about this "girl with a voice so similar to Lady Lacus's own", heard her performing, and finally offered her to take up Lacus' place as her double... well, she was overjoyed. Not only she'd be able to do something for peace, instead of just looking at others doing so; her dream to be noticed and loved would be fulfilled, even if it's because people thought she was the real Lacus. Honestly said, it's kinda like having Meer as a PLANT version of Cinderella (therefore the essay's title), then being shaped into a princess of sorts by "the Fairy Godfathers" Dullindal - one who would be more than a cute face and a sweet voice, able to fight for peace without guns, just with her words and her presence at the stage.
It's an offer that nobody would turn down, were they in Meer's shoes. I know *I* would've accepted to do so, to go through a complete makeover that included even plastic surgery (as evidenced by her flashback in the Athrun escape episode, by the pic of Meer's past self that we see in her purse, by what the Archangel people learn of when they read her digital diary), and to learn how to behave to make people happy. Which, in her view, means to be cheerful, energetic and bouncy, transmitting her feelings and her will to live through singing and cheering them on, showing a mask of happiness to tell them that it's gonna be okay, and showing off her already well-toned body (yep, her boobs *are* naturally big: she was well-stacked already *before* the surgery) to be eye-candy and fit in the ZAFT soldiers' (which are mostly young men and women around her age) fantasies.
However, while she does enjoy the attention she's give, Meer doesn't fully forget her purpose and determination to help people to live in peace. She's not *always* ditzy in presence of Athrun (seen on how she acts when Dullindal gives him and Shinn their new Gundams), *can* act on her own when needed (the plan to save Athrun), *does* repent of encouraging militar action after Operation Ragnarok. . . and ultimately, she sacrifices herself to save Lacus' life, taking a bullet that was meant to kill the woman she impersonated for months, and dies in her arms after begging her, Meyrin, Kira and Athrun not to forget her songs.
The last time we see Meer is in episode 47, which is dedicated to show how she became The Artificial Lacus. Athrun, Lacus, Kira, Mwu and Meyrin bring Meer's lifeless body to the Archangel, and then they make research on her and find her diary. There, she writes about how her plastic surgery went, how happy she was to see her dream getting closer to realization, and how she was introduced to the "Want to be Lacus Clyne?" plan. After this, a funeral service is held for Meer as she's placed in a coffin full of white flowers, and everyone says good-bye. Lacus is specially affected by Meer's death, and most likely blames herself heavily for letting another person take the place she was in until the war two years ago. Meer Campbell had tried to become Lacus Clyne both to lead people to a better life and to learn to love her own person, and that only led her to her own downfall.
Significant Others :: Relationships
Obviously, Meer Campbell isn't the only character in the show. We never got to know either her immediate family or her friends from before the war, so that leaves us with...
Master of Puppets :: Gilbert Dullindal.
The Chairman of the ZAFT council after Patrick Zala's demise, he's a very charismatic, devious and brilliant man who becomes the master of the politics in the SEED: Destiny universe. Despite not belonging to the military, Meer is one of his aidés; he contacts and hires her as the doppelganger for the missing Lacus Clyne, intending to use her still-strong influence over the ZAFT people for his own purposes. Athrun warns Meer that she'll most likely become more of a puppet than anything in Dullindal's hands, but Meer seems to be very much convinced that Gilbert means well and that he'll keep the peace. And if helping Dullindal to keep the space peaceful and all means to impersonate someone else, then Meer will do so. Only much later, she'll start to doubt about his intentions. . .
Knight in Shining Gundam :: Athrun Zala.
Athrun is the son of ex-ZAFT leader Patrick Zala, and Lacus' fiancé. Meer thinks that Athrun is still engaged to Lacus (she never knew that Patrick broke the engagement off after Siegel Clyne's apparent treason), so she naturally goes all bubbly and chipper at the sight of the man. Nobody can exactly blame her for it: he's handsome, a good person, intelligent, a skilled pilot, and still a hero among many. She had a rather bizarre idea of how Lacus would act towards Athrun to cheer him up, though, which explains the famous bed scene and her fangirlish attitude when in his presence.
Athrun himself doesn't seem to love her romantically and is embarrased by her advances, but this doesn't mean that he hates her. Oh, no. He does appreciate the fact that he owes her his life, and does care for her in a way: he does offer her to run away with him, then goes to her aid when she tells him through a note that she'll be killed (he knows it's a trap, yet says that even then he can't leave Meer alone with the enemy), and is emotionally crushed when she finally dies. In fact, he's the one who carries her lifeless body to the Archangel, in his very own arms.
Role Model :: Lacus Clyne.
Early on, Meer expresses her admiration for Lacus. She says everyone needs Lacus since she's graceful, beautiful, kind and strong. Meer used to be one of Lacus' fangirls, after all, and used to sing her songs until she was discovered. To Meer, Lacus is the mirror of all her inspiration and dreams, she's the person she wants to be... the one who's admired and loved not only because of her pretty self, but because she's the embodiment of strength and hope. Meer wants to have at least a part of Lacus' essence, the part that will make her desirable and loved - as well as able to work for a better world.
Lacus isn't exactly upset at the fact that Meer has taken her public place; in episode 46 she's nothing but kind to Meer, telling her to search for her own dreams, shielding her when they're under attack, and breaking down when Meer gets shot in her place and soon dies in her arms. Finally, in episode 47, Lacus takes Meer's death as seriously as Athrun, if not even more. As said before, Meer was there because people needed Lacus' strength and Lacus herself wasn't there for them, despite the good reasons she had to leave PLANT. Meer reminded Lacus of her place in the Destiny world, and gave her more motivation to finish the current war. Her expression in this pic says all; fans have commented that Lacus had never looked this upset and angry until then.
Broken Heart to Dream :: Meer and Me
Meer is one character that causes very strong impressions in the fandom. The majority of fans really don't like the woman, branding her as a ditzy skank or a third-wheel. Uhm, me? I loved the girl ever since I saw her dancing in the OP, because her personality and looks were such a kick. Not just because *any* woman able to be comfortable while wearing her super-ultra revealing dress wins extra brownie points in my book, but because I thought she was very vulnerable and sweet as she spoke to Athrun. And when she came back in Fangirl Mode and all, which turned off lots of other people... I was quite intrigued. Whoa, who was this girl, really? How come did she change? Why, huh? It'll be fun to find out...
So, I decided to give Meer a chance. And she responded. I saw not only her "Stage Lacus" gig, but her more vulnerable, human side. As someone who has had serious self-worth problems through her life, I could identify with Meer's plea to be loved and taken care of, and also adored how sshe combined that more selfish part of her with the wish to bring peace. Meer came off as one very human character for me; she could be petty, immature and ditzy, yup, but there was more to her than the "OMG HO THAT WANTZ ATHRUN AND WILL STEAL HIM FROM CAGALLI-SAMA" facade.
And what was underneath... I liked it. Really, I did.
Artistic Tribute :: Meer-based Fanwork and Websites
Since Meer isn't one of the most loved characters, there's little fanwork dedicated to her. But it's not impossible to find it, so enjoy!
Mecha and Anime Head Quarters: One of the best resources for Gundam general info, including SEED and SEED: Destiny summaries.
Gundam SEED Net: One of the largest SEED picture galleries ever.
meer_love : the LJ community dedicated to Meer Campbell. There are icons, wallpapers, fanarts, screencaps, etc.
goshinboku_icon : cowgirled is one of my fellow Meer fans in arms, and among her already gorgeous icons she has some very pretty Meer ones.
Untitled: djablesse's Meer-centered fic, the first one I ever found. :3
Within Endless Time: written by tailfluff, the third chapter of this fic is dedicated to an extremely realistic portrayal of Meer.
Primal Innocence: shinncest's brilliant Meer essay.
There you go, dearies! * blows a kiss to the people and leaves the stage *